Second Life [Giyushino] Kimetsu no Yaiba

Five

The two pillars sat in their room, the male looking out the window, while the female was playing with the petals of a potted flower.

"Tomioka-San, when do you think the wind and heavy rain will stop?" she asked,  not bothering to turn around to face him.

Giyu didn't answer, but instead got up to head out the door. Shinobu knew he was probably checking up not he laundry, but the clothes they were wearing were quite comfortable. The inn said they could even keep them for their travels, as the clothes were intended for the traveler of the second life.

However, after ten minutes, he did not come back, and Shinobu thought that he probably went to the food stall of the inn to eat salmon daikon.

However after an hour, Tomioka still did not return, and that was when she became slightly concerned. She decided that she should go look for him but sleep deprivation took over her, and she ended up falling asleep.

She woke up from the sudden sound of thunder clapping, and she looked out the window, to see that it was still raining heavily, the wind howling through the cracks. The moon was an extremely bright lavender, not yet reaching the deep purple the shopkeeper had described. The Moon Festival was tomorrow, and she wondered what it would be like.

Alas, Tomioka was still not in the room, and she was about to fall back asleep when she heard the door creak open.

She pretended to be asleep, squinting her eyes so that she could barely see. She saw a dripping wet Giyu walk into the room, his usual blank expression on his face. His hair and shirt, as well as pants and shoes were completely soaked, and this disturbed Shinobu, as she realized he had been out in the rain all afternoon and evening. 

He went to the other side of the room, where she could not see him. She however could not turn to look at him, or that would be suspicious.

Shinobu heard a soft sound from her right ear, which was the one facing upwards. She knew that  Tomioka-San was sitting at the edge of the mattress, and he sighed.

"Kochou, I know you're awake."

Shinobu had enough, whirling upright to face him and give him a lecture. She however hesitated, choking on her words, when she was confronted with the dull expression of the Water Pillar, and him not wearing a shirt.

She shrieked, pulling the blankets over her eyes to cover them. It wasn't that he looked ugly, it was just that she didn't expect someone so drab and sad all the time to be...

...quite handsome.

"Kochou." he spoke again, as if nothing happened. This time, she slowly retreated back the covers. 

"It's late. You should be asleep." he gestured to the pillow.

"Me? Asleep? You should be the one in bed!" she only noticed the bandages wrapped around his torso and chest, wondering if he was still recovering from his death on Earth.

His death on Earth.

"Tomioka-San, I thought you said you drowned." she asked, puzzled.

"What actually happened?" 

***

"So you sacrificed yourself so that Tanjiro and Nezuko could escape, because they were badly hurt, and you continued to fight the demon and trap it until the sun came out?" Shinobu slowly spoke, repeating his story.

"And I was tossed into the ocean since this was on the docks." he finished. "I was to weak to swim up because he had shredded my flesh and organs with his threads and weapons."